Beano Superstars – Mandi Sharma

Say hello to Bash Street School’s most mindful student!

Hello! My name is Mandira, but you can call me Mandi for short. It’ll save you exactly one second. But you can call me Mandira too, if you have a second to spare.

My name can mean temple or melody, but it could mean worry too. I tend to worry a little bit. All right, I tend to worry a lot.

What about? Little things, big things. I even worry about medium things. Is there a size I’ve left out? Let me think… No, that’s all the different sized worries I have. It’s normal to worry about things, but I try to not let it spoil my day even though it can be quite difficult. I wear my grandfather’s mala – that’s a type of beaded necklace – and it helps me be calm and not stress so much. Did you know that ‘mala’ is actually a Sanskrit word which means garland? Now you do.

I don’t really like being under pressure. It makes me feel anxious and I can sometimes over think things and get tied up in knots, a bit like my mala if I’ve had a tough day. They say is a problem shared is a problem halved, so I’ve learned that it always helps to talk to your family and friends if you’re worried about anything.

I have some brilliant friends and I can always talk to them if I have anything troubling me. I’d say that my classmates, Minnie, Rubi, Dangerous Dan and JJ are my friends.

I live with my mum – her name is Keran – and my nani. Her name is Shabu. We’ve also got a white pet rabbit, called Milo. My mum runs her own events company and my nani used to be a doctor and was born in India.

I wonder what I’ll be when I’m a grown up? What do you want to do?